Destiny

Chapter 4

"Wake up." Jihyo's worried voice sounds in her ears. Mina is reluctant to open her eyes because she's afraid that seeing Nayeon has only been a dream and disappointment is going to wreck her when she opens her eyes.

"Minaya." Her eyes snap open when Nayeon's low voice strike her eardrums softly.

"Nayeon-chan." She sits up slowly on the couch, coming face to face with the older girl kneeling before her on the floor.

There's worry and concern on her beautiful face and Mina feels tears welling in her eyes as she remembers seeing this face laying peaceful and quiet in the casket.

Her lips quiver even as she tries to get a hold of her emotions. She extends her hands and lingers it on the older girl's cheek wanting to see if she's real and not a product of her imagination.

"Nayeon-chan." Her voice cracks as she throws her arms around the older girl's neck, falling into her for a bone crushing hug. "I missed you so much."

She sobs clutching at her back, pulling her tighter into her, her heart breaking and healing at the same time at the warmth she feels in those arms and the familiar scent that embraces her senses.

"Minaya." The older girl's tone is soft and laced with concern as she pulls back lightly to take a look at her face.

The warmth and affection she sees in those dark eyes only breaks her heart even more and Mina sobs openly, hands resting on her chest, feeling Nayeon's heartbeat, face buried in the crook of her neck as torrent of tears pour down her face.

Because for four hundred days she's lived without seeing these eyes that radiated warmth and affection.

A four hundred days she's going to have relive at the end of thirty one days she's been given to find her last wish.

"It's okay." Nayeon whispers into her hair, her arms tight and comforting around her back. "I'm here."

Mina nods as more tears threaten to well at those words.

Their manager suggests they take the day off. Mina steps away from Nayeon after her initial breakdown, she doesn't want to confuse her by being physically affectionate.

Mina has always been a shy person and it's hard for her to show physical affection, especially with Nayeon because the older girl is so well put together, gorgeous and funny and everyone seems to be a bit in love with her and even though they've spent years together, her introverted self still feels a little intimated by the perfection that is Nayeon.

She doesn't want to set any alarm bells going off in Nayeon's head by changing her behavior around her a complete 180.

So even though the yearning to be with her and in her arms is overwhelming, she settles to just looking at her to her heart's content from afar.

She replays the words with the cloaked figure when she's sleeping in her bed that night.

How do I find her last wish? Mina thinks to herself, she doesn't want Nayeon to linger between the two worlds when the inevitable happens in thirty one days.

"No." Nayeon talks in her sleep. Mina turns to her side and glances at her with soft eyes. She's missed this sleep talk for a really long time. "No candies in my pocket."

Mina's heart swells and squeezes painfully at the same time. Why should life be so cruel? Why should someone so innocent and pure be snatched away from this world so young? Why doesn't she have the power to stop it from happening?

She takes a deep breath, not wanting to cry. Her eyes glisten with tears as she resists the urge to cup the older girl's cheek.

Her heart melts a little when she sees that Nayeon is drooling slightly. A smile sits upon her lips and she wipes the corner of the older girl's mouth with the sleeves of her long night shirt.

Her heart completely melts and sits like a gooey puddle in its chest when Nayeon catches her wrist in her sleep with both her hands and nuzzles her face into her hand.

She pulls her hand away gently after a while, the deep and slow breaths showing that Nayeon is fast asleep. She doesn't want to close her eyes, preferring to stare at the face she's missed for four hundred painfully long days.

When a distant thunder rumbles, Nayeon who's terrified of thunderstorms rolls over to her bed like she sometimes does unconsciously, burying her face into her collarbone.

Mina has to force back another set of fresh tears when she feels her heart beat against hers.

We tried all we can. We can't resuscitate her heart.

She remembers the quiet way the words were uttered. She remembers sitting on the hard plastic chair hoping against hope they made a mistake and Nayeon is safe and alive.

Mina cuts off her thoughts from going down that path, afraid she'll wake up the older girl if she lets the sobs overtake her body. Instead, she intakes another deep breath and loops an arm behind Nayeon's back. Another hand locks around her neck, threading through her short dark hair.

She sighs softly when Nayeon throws an arm around her waist and snuggles into her chest as another thunder echoes through the night.

Her eyes drift close and she sleeps light for the first time in a long time.